Mustang Celebrates 50 years with a Pinball Machine!

The iconic Ford Mustang celebrates it’s 50th anniversary this year, in fact it’s birthday is April 16th. Ford has planned a number of events in the States to commemorate this amazing car. Who would have thought a pinball machine would be made as part of the festivities!?

Ford have worked with Stern, the largest pinball manufacturer in the world, to produce the Mustang Pinball machine. An early version of the game was unveiled by Ford at the NADA Motorshow held in New Orleans last month. The all-new Ford Mustang headlines a trio of new pony car-themed pinball games revealed at the Chicago Auto Show held last week:

Players will experience the thrill of building an amazing collection of the most desirable Mustangs; including GT's, Mach 1's, Cobras, Boss Mustangs and the 2015 Mustang. Take your Mustangs racing against an array of colorful game characters in 8 different racing scenarios including drifting, drag racing, road races, rallies and police pursuits.

Three versions of Mustang Pinball:

Since then both companies have officially announced the collaboration, and Stern have confirmed that Mustang will be their next game. There will be three versions:

Pro - this is the base model, which will be the most produced, paying tribute to five decades of Mustangs

Premium - which features the “Boss” version of Mustangs 302, 351 and 429

Limited Edition - which features the original 1965 Mustang and the new-generation 2015 Mustang

Both the LE and Premium models will feature genuine chrome Mustang badges over the speaker grilles.

The game comes equipped with top-of-the-line features including artwork painted by famed Ford GT designer, Camilo Pardo, and the ultimate soundtrack from Sony Music featuring five decades of hits.

The Pro model will be available from April 2014, and is now available to pre-order from Home Leisure Direct. The Pro model will be retailing for £4,895 including VAT, delivery and installation. We hope to have Mustang on display in our Bristol showroom. It is also available on finance - for details please see our product page: Mustang Pinball Machine

As soon as we have pricing and availability for the Premium and Limited Edition versions we will let you know.

Stern Press Release:

AMERICAN POP CULTURE ICONS CONVERGE AS STERN PINBALL ANNOUNCES THREE NEW FORD MUSTANG-THEMED GAMES

A new pinball game from Stern Pinball, featuring the all-new Ford Mustang and celebrating 50 years of the original pony car, debuts at the Chicago Auto Show

Stern Pinball will also offer a premium game featuring Mustang Boss 302, Boss 351 and Boss 429, plus a limited-edition game honoring the 1965 original and all-new 2015 Mustang

Champion pinball player Zach Sharpe will challenge journalists to beat his high score on the new machines during media preview days at the Chicago Auto Show on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7

The all-new Ford Mustang headlines a trio of new pony car-themed pinball games to be revealed at the Chicago Auto Show. Crafted by Chicago's own Stern Pinball, the Mustang-inspired games combine two prime examples of 20th century American pop culture – the coin-operated pinball machine and the original pony car.

"For five decades, Mustang has represented some of the best of American culture, inspiring a feeling of freedom and independence for people around the world," said Steve Ling, Ford car marketing manager. "We're excited to have Stern Pinball join us here in its hometown of Chicago with its brand-new games featuring Mustang."

Stern is introducing three new Mustang-themed games this spring featuring cabinet and backboard artwork that pay tribute to 50 years of Mustang. The pro-level machines, designed for arcades and other public spaces, feature Mustangs from the past five decades. The more feature-rich premium edition focuses on Mustang Boss 302, Boss 351 and Boss 429 of 1969 to 1971 and 2012 to 2013.

Stern Pinball is one of many companies producing officially licensed products to celebrate 50 years of Mustang. Other licensees include Mattel with a 50 Years of Mustang Hot Wheels collection, Caddyshack with a limited-edition Shelby GT500 Mustang golf car and the Mustang GT pedal go kart from Berg. A range of apparel and other products are available from shopfordmerchandise.com.

The all-new 2015 Mustang makes its first Chicago appearance at the auto show alongside six of Stern's pro-level Mustang games. Top-ranked competitive pinball player Zach Sharpe will also be on hand to demonstrate the new game and set benchmark scores for show visitors and media to challenge.

A special limited-edition model signed by the game designer features the 1965 original and the all-new 2015 Mustang. Both premium and limited-edition games feature genuine chrome Mustang badges on the speaker grilles.

"The first car I ever bought was a 1970 Mustang Sportroof with a 302, and I'm currently restoring a 1969 Mach 1," said George Gomez, executive vice president for game design, Stern Pinball. "In designing these new games, we wanted to celebrate the freedom and fun of driving Mustang."

The games incorporate a mix of classic pinball play features and modern technology to let players "go racing" with some of the greatest Mustangs of all time, and even build up a dream collection as they progress.

Different interactive sections of the playfield and sequences of shots let players go drag racing, rallying, drifting and road racing in pursuit of a high score. For example, hitting specific targets with the ball enables gear shifting, and subsequent hits activate going up or down through the gears. The games feature video displays in the backboard and real Mustang sounds, giving players the visceral experience of driving Mustang.

Chicago is the spiritual home of the classic coin-operated pinball machine. The modern games were developed in the city in the 1920s and 1930s by companies such as Bally, Gottlieb and Williams as an evolution of 18th century French parlor games. Over time, designers added a wide array of features to enhance gameplay, and incorporated pop culture themes from movies, television, music and comic books – the same mediums that often incorporate Mustang.

Pinball pioneer Harry Williams said, "The ball is wild!"

"The beauty of pinball is that there is no set outcome, and it can't be programmed like a video game," said Gary Stern, founder of Stern Pinball. "That makes pinball a perfect match for Mustang, taking drivers anywhere they want to go."

The very first Mustang-themed pinball game was introduced in 1964, the same year as the car, by the now-defunct Chicago Coin Company. Unfortunately, all of the other great Chicago pinball companies succumbed to the challenge of the video game business. Stern has committed to creating great games that remain true to what made pinball fun in the first place, while incorporating modern design and mechanical systems to challenge players.

2015 Ford Mustang:

The all-new Mustang is the most advanced version yet of the iconic pony car. The sleek new design of Mustang fastback and convertible is backed up by world-class performance from a range of available engines, including a new turbocharged EcoBoost® 2.3-liter and an upgraded 5.0-liter V8 with more than 420 horsepower. In addition to state-of-the-art connectivity systems, Mustang features available advanced driver-assist systems, track apps, launch control and more.

Mustang Pinball Playfield:

We can't wait for the Mustang Pinball to arrive onto UK shores. Keep an eye out on our website, as well as Facebook and Twitter, for more details as soon as we have them.